Article of footwear provided with removable counter



April 24, 1956 J, MELTZER A 2,742,715

ARTICLE OFl FOOTWEAR PROVIDED WITH REMOVABLE COUNTER Filed Feb. 16, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 24, 1956 1 MELTZER 2,742,715

ARTICLE 0F FOOTWEAR PROVIDED WITH REMOVABLE COUNTER Filed Feb. 1e, 1955 z Sheng-sneer 2 INVENTOR Jak/', WZeZZe/r ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR PROVIDED WITH REMOVABLE COUNTER My present invention relates generally to articles ofY footwear, and has particular reference to a shoe whose upper has a rear end area adapted to support a special pocket of redily openable character. y

The invention is in certain respects applicable not only to shoes and slippers of the so-called slip-lasted variety, but also to other types of footwear suchas softsole slippers and moccasins, even to shoes of more conventional character.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a shoe or slipper in which there is a readily lremovable counter, i. e., one which can be inserted into association with the shoe upper, or removed therefrom, at the Vwill of the user of the shoes.

One of the advantages of my invention stems from the fact that it is common practice for shoes or slippers to be selected so as to match or harmonize with other articles of clothing,'hence many persons have a relatively large number of pairs of shoes for wear with different costumes. v This creates a problem when the owner of the shoes travels, and therefore it is desirable to provideand my invention successfully affords-a convenient means whereby a number of pairs of shoes can be stored or packed in a minimum of space. Ordinarily, shoes provided with stit't` counters cannot be collapsed to pack the shoes conveniently and compactly, and therefore such shoes require considerable storage space. By my invention, a convenient and thoroughly practical shoe construction is provided, in which removability of the stiif counter is easily and quickly capable of accomplishment whenever desired, to permit the shoes to be flatly packed and stored.

lt is a more particular object of the invention to provide a shoe in which a removable counter of substantial size may be inserted and replaced through a top opening or entrance to a pocket provided at the rear end area of the shoe upper. It is a feature of the invention to provide such a pocket with an entrance opening at least as long as the counter `to be inserted into the pocket, so that the counter may be introduced by direct downward movement into the pocket, or removed by a simple upward pull. f

It is another object of the invention to provide a counter-receiving pocket of the type described, provided with means by which the pocket can be readily closed and opened. A feature ofthe invention resides in forming the parts in such a way that if desired the closing of the pocket can be caused to conceal the existence of the pocket, or'to add decorativetouches to the shoe an thereby enhance its appearance, or both.V f

It is still another object of the invention to provide a shoe with an open-top pocket at the rear, that can be used `either for the reception of a removable counter, or for containing money or other small articles, the pocket being effectively hidden or concealed, hence usable asa secret hiding place.

My improved shoe construction involves the provision' of an upper having a rear end area formed of inner and United States `Patent n 2,742,715 v Patented Apr. i'y 24, 1

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the article of'footwear is of the slip-lasted type, theV lower edges of the inner and outer plies are preferably stitched or otherwise permanently secured to the margin of a sock lining, and to a platform cover, if the shoe is to have a platform sole structure.

Several yways of achieving these` severalobjects and advantages, and such other objects and advantages as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, are illustratively exemplied in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. l is a face view of an illustrative pocket-forming strip, and of the adjacent surrounding piece, in accordance with-one embodiment of the invention; Y

Figf2 is a perspective view of a counter;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the'rear of a shoe constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View through the rear of the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View, with parts fragmentarily shown, of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view of the inner face of a closure lap as used in a further embodiment of the invention shown in Figs 7, 8 and 9;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, with parts shown fragmentarily, of the rear portion of a shoe in which the top of the pocket is closed by a foldable tlap, the ap being shown in its raised or open position;V

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig'. 7, but showing the pocket-closing flap in its lowered or closed position, and f Fig. 9 isa vertical sectional'view through the struct ture of Fig. 8.

v upper 'of a shoe of the slip-lasted type.

- other suitable sheet material.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, I have indicated at 1 the rear part of the The upper is formedr from a blank or blanks previously cut to the required' shape and stitched together in known fashion. For simplicity in illustration the upper 1 has been shown as being composed of a single ply of flexible leather or At 3 is shown a counter'- covering element adapted to form a pocket for the reception of a relatively stiff, appropriately shaped counter, such as that shown at 8 in Fig. 2. The lower edge 40 of the pocket member 3 is secured to the rear of the upper 1 by the line of stitching 13, which also attaches the sock lining 41 as well as the platform wrapper or covering 42, to the upper. To permit the pocket-forming strip or member 3 to smoothly conform to the rounded rear end area of the upper, the part 3 may be gored and then stitched as shown at 4.

Secured closely around the upper or curved edge 5 of the pocket-forming memberl 3 is a curved reinforcement Z which is attached to the upper 1 by the line of stitching indicated at 9, thereby providing on said reinforcement an in ner free edge 10 coextensive with and situated closely adjacent to the edge 5. As will be seen in Fig. l, the pocket-forming member 3 is provided adjacent to its upper edge 5 with a plurality of spaced holes 6. Similarly, `the strip 2 is provided with holes '7 located adjacent to i its kfree edge 10. As will be observed in Fig. 3, the space inserted in the pocket behind the member 3, is held in other meansmight'be provided 'for closing themouth of the4 pocket, ,thefobjective s oughtbeing` a `sriu'g Aand secure confinement of the, counter 8 in the pocket, coupled with anability to ef'ect an easy removal ofthe counter from the pocket when desired.A W

It will be'noted that the opening tothe pocket extends for thev length of the curved iipper edge ,5 4ofthe*poeketformin'gniember 3, and hence .this opening Ais asv long as the greatestlength of the counter. Therefrethe insertionfoffthe counterintoJhe vs paee behind the member `3i`s simple andv easy` since th,efco'untei` is' slid directly dpvvnwardly` from the Vtop ofthe shoe into'the pocket; the upper 'edge is readily workfedlheneath the'ozverhanging lip of the reinforcementpiece 2;'.a'nd` the'lacesare then threaded through 'the holes `6` and 'I and .tied together.

`While i have shown, in'Figs. l .to 4,31 counte r{rec ei vi ng pocket whose upper edge is located below. the ltop edge of 'the shoe upper 1, aslightly different arrangement is shown in the: embodiment o f the, invention disclosed, in Fig. `5. The part 18, which cooperates with the rear end area 1,6 of theV shoe upper for forming the counter-receiving pocket, has its upper edge extending evenly and'coextensively with the upper edge 23 of the shoe upper 1 6. Provided in the marginal edge. portion ofthe upperl is a rowof holes 17, and a similar row of holes is provided along the marginal edgeofthe part 18. The holes 17 are in registry with thoseshown at 20, and lacing 21 is extended through-the aligned holes to thereby close the top of the pocketprovided between the two/ plies 16 and 18. The counter 22 may be readily fitted into the pocket and removed, or replaced, when the lacing 21 is wholly or partly removed.

In theA embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to` 9, a pocketforming member28 is attached to the rearV end area of the shoe upper along its lower edge, by the stitching 32 (Eig. 9,), and at its opposite side ends by the stitching 29. This leaves the upper edge 42 of the member 28 unattached so that the counter 32 can be inserted behind it into the space between it and the shoe upper. The pocket 31 thus provided between the member 28-and the shoe upper 1 is of such length that the counter may be easily inserted by downward movement. The upper edge 42 of the member 28 is preferably located a short distance below the top edge of thel shoe upper, as seen in Fig. 7.

A closure means is provided for the pocket 30, and in this case I have shown how it may consist'of a foldable closure flap 24 whose lower edge portion 25 is attached to the upper edge portion of the shoe upper by aline of stitching 27. Carried by thefia'p 24 isa plurality of snap fastener elements 26, or equivalent separable fastening means, adapted for detachable engagementwith the complementary fastener elements, shown at 30, at-

tached to the pocket-forming member 3. Under normal conditions, the flap is folded downwardly, as shown in Fig. 8, 'so that the fastener elements on the apengage with those on the pocket-forming member 2'1'3. When the flap 24 is downturned in 'thelmanner described it covers and conceals the upper end ofthe member '28 andhence conceals the entrance to the pocket 31. Thus, while the pocket 31 is primarily intended for the reception of a counter 32, it might also be used as a secret pocket for money or. other small articles, since the presence of a pocket in the heel portion of thefshoe isdnot indicated by the general appearance of theshoe.l i

The ufiap 24'is shown'as being relatiiIY. .Slorbnt it may behof'greater length and may,` ifde'sired, extend to the lower portion ofthe upper 1- or adjacent ton its,Y 'inneI l tion with the sole. Also, the shape of this flap may be materially changed as it may be made in many ornamental forms departing from the spirit of the invention. Obviously, since the downtur'ried ap extends over the opening or mouth of the pocket 31, no closing means for the pocket, other than the flap 24, need be used. However, if desired, lacing may. be provided for the closing of the pocket, or the flap might be laced down rather ,and is `of advantage in this respect.

` than held down by the snap. fasteners as herein suggested.

The constructionslwlive shown and described may be modified in various ways, depending` upon the style and purpose of the article of footwear in connection with which .the rear pocket is provided. For example, the provision of lacing as a means for connecting the inner and outer plies of'the pocket is not essential, and any appropriate equivalent fastening means may be resorted to. Lacing has a desirable ornamental effect, however,

n Obviously, if desired, otherpartsof the shoe uppermay beprovided with similar lacing to enhance ,the ornamental effect and to shift the focus of attention from the rear of the shoe and 'thereby` contribute to further coneealment of the existence of an op'enablepocket. In a similar way, a flap arrangement asy shown in Figs. 79 may be constructed as part offa'n ornamental downturned collar or its equivalent that extends over the top edge of the upper in regions of the shoe other than the rear region. Collars and cuffs of thisl kindare commonly employed for decorative purposes, and the present invention lends itself readily to an enhancement of ornamentation, as will be readily understood.

lQther changes within the scope of the invention will i readily suggest themselves. For example, the two pieces 2 and3 shownuinV Figs. 1- 4 may be joined or integral in the opposite end regions of the narrow space between the adjacent edgesSrand 10. A lso, this space or slit may have any desired shape, commensurate with the size and shape of the counter to be employed.

In general, it will be understood that the details herein described and illustrated are intended to explain the general nature andl purpose of the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be readily enabled to make variations, in these details without necessarily departing from thev spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Ina shoe, an upper having a rear end area, a pocketforming member attached at its lower edge to said rear end area and having its upper edge free of attachment thereto whereby there is provided between said member and the outer face of the upper a pocket for the reception of a removablecounter, the length of the unattached upper edge of said memberbeing sufficient to enable the counter to be inserted between said member and the upper by insertion downwardly from the topof the shoe, a reinforcing strip surrounding` the free edge of the pocketforming member, said stripbeing attached to the rear end area of the upper and presenting a free edge adjacent to the free edge of the pocket-forming member, said adjacent free edges being connected together by removable fastening. means.

2. In a shoe, the combination of parts provided for in claim l, wherein the two free edges are perforated, and the removable fastening means consists of lacing extended through said perforations.

3. In a shoe, an upper having a rear end area, a pocketforming member having a lower edge stitched to said rear end area and having a free, curved upper edge unattached tothe upper, a counter positioned between the baelcof the pocket-forming member and the outer face ofi the upper, a curyed reinforcement stitchedto the upper in said rear end area and having a free edgein close proximity to and o o-extensive with the unattached curved edge of thepocitet-forming member, being each provided with a rovv of holes, and lacing extending betweensaid rows of holes and conning the counter behind the pocketforming member, said lacing being at least partly removable to permit removal of the counter.

4. In a shoe, an upper having aA rear end area formed stiiened solely by said counter and composed of relatively 10 soft foldable material lso that it may be collapsed when said pocket is empty, and readily lmanipulable fastening means carried by the plies of the pocket to keep them j separably closed, whereby'. the counter may be retained in position within said pocket when the shoe is worn and mayy be withdrawn from the pocket when said rear end area is to be collapsed.

5. ln a shoe, the combination of parts defined in claim 4, wherein the fastening means is lacing which connects the free edges of the pocket-forming plies. Y

References Cited in the ileV of this patent UNITED STATES' PATENTS Lassig Mar. 21, 19716 Carling Apr. 24, 1917 

